The invention relates to a support used as a vehicle component, the support comprising a longitudinal extension with a multiple of transverse extension thereof, and having a transverse profile section reinforcing the support.
In vehicles, various supports are used as vehicle components. Such supports, as the word suggests, can be used as supports for certain components. One example of such a support is a transmission carrier. The supports, as vehicle components, are also used for the articulated connection of vehicle components. For example, the supports are used with the chassis frame. In the chassis frame, connecting rods are used as supports, transverse links or stabilizers for example.
Supports of the above-mentioned type can be manufactured as steel metal plate components. These supports have a transverse profile section to increase their stiffness, and they are therefore profiled transversely to their longitudinal extension. The profile section is typically designed as a U-shaped profile section. The longitudinal extension of these supports corresponds to a multiple of the transverse extension thereof. In certain designs, it is also possible to assemble two or more such supports to a vehicle component. For example, in a transmission carrier of the previously known type, in which two U-shaped profiled supports are welded to each other to form a closed box profile.
Such supports are produced from steel in a shaping process, usually a deep-drawing process, by which a metal plate blank is shaped to the three-dimensional geometry of the support. The material cost in this regard is not low. A tool set up for producing a support is adjusted not only exactly to the geometry of the support which is to be obtained, but also to the strength of the metal plate blank to be shaped.
Even if supports of the above-mentioned type meet these requirements, there still remains a demand for supports with greater bending stiffness, particularly supports that can be produced at only relatively low additional costs and with a justifiable measure of increased manufacturing cost.